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All posts for the month May, 2012

The day before the kick off of ZdayZ 2012 we had Andy stop by the shop to pick up his brand new and very limited edition Double Machine Black Volk G12′s. As most of you know this just happens to be the same wheel set-up Sharif@Forged runs on his personal Deep Blue Pearl GT-R. Seeing these two beautiful DBA’s wearing the same wheels but in contrasting paint codes I just had to line them up for a snap shot:

I left my hotel at 6:30am with the sun just barely cresting the horizon, and the ambient temp rising past 90F. My hotel is conveniently located across the street from the Mall of the Emirates where I stumbled across the best Turkish Coffee in all the lands. With just a hint of jasmine and a sharp robust flavor and just the right about of grit, this 1oz bundle of java is brilliant and makes normal espresso seem like a child’s beverage by comparison.

The Mall of the Emirates is the second largest in Dubai and third largest in the Middle East which spans over 2,400,000 sq/ft of shopping space and is home to the world famous indoor ski resort that many of you have heard about. Nothing is lost in the paradox of a ski slope in the middle of a 120F desert. It’s mere sight, reinforces my belief that anything is possible if you put your mind, and a quite a bit of money, to full use.

It’s unusual to see the mall this desolate…the only people in site are the cleaning workers preparing for the opening crowds in a couple of hours.

Well, April and May continue to be the busiest months for Forged Performance. So far, we are having a record year with no slowdown in sight. Delta 8 is a flight that I have grown accustomed to, and leaves directly out of Atlanta’s brand spanking new International Terminal and lands a mere 15hrs later in Dubai, the financial capital of the Middle East in the United Arab Emerates. Having slept a good portion of the trip, I arrived a bit groggy and encountered the longest Passport Control lines I’ve ever seen. Apparently the influx of foreign workers overwhelmed the limited number of inspectors. I wasn’t supposed to take these shots, but I surreptitiously grabbed them with my phone.

After Ali picked me up curbside, we headed to the workshop to preview the cars and projects that needed tuning. The summer is in full effect in Dubai and all the pain and glory that comes with 120F+ days. Ali and the gang were nice enough to aquire a couple of these water based air coolers for yours truely. I can’t thank them enough, as it does get hot in the dyno room.

So the fun begins! I have about 12 GT-R’s to tune in the next days mixed in with a Yas Marina drag racing test day on Thurs. Thanks to Ali and Khaled, they have provided me with this pretty nice loaner car…I tuned it last time I was here in Dubai and it made 800 whp. The owner recently foiled the car with this very subtle bright yellew color. This thing could stop a train, and I love it. Should be fun!

This past weekend, I was offered the unique privilege of testing the new 999 SuperSport tube frame race car at the Atlanta Motorsports Park. Very few people have actually driven this marvelous purpose built racer which I first laid eyes on at last year’s annual PRI show in Orlando. I have known Jackson Stewart for many years in the import racing motorsport scene, and as the architect that is bringing this car to life, he’s done a marvelous job thus far. So when I heard that the 999 would be at newly opened Atlanta Motorsports Park, I jumped in my car and made the 55 min drive to the track.

When I first laid eyes on the car, I immediately was impressed with the full race nature of the platform. This wasn’t a race car conversion…this was a full blown purpose built tube frame race car. From the composite body panels, no-nonsense center seat, pro grade column, pedal box, switch panel, and dash; it was abundantly clear that the 999 SuperSport was a serious racing machine. Weighing about 2200lbs, and making approximately 300hp/350trq in it’s basic configuration I was looking forward to wheeling it around the track.

As I slid into the car, I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of room I have in the cockpit. With the single center seat, the 999 feels quite roomy.

Stewart gives me a brief orientation on the how to start the engine, kill the ignition, and activate the fire suppression which fortunately I didn’t need to test out.

So with some final words, I was off to do some test laps at Atlanta Motorsports Park.

The car was really a joy to drive, and from the moment I put my right foot on the ground I was impressed with the overall response of the car. It is lightweight, nimble, and has plenty of power to turn some fast lap times. And let’s face it, it looks like sex on wheels. Make no mistake about it, this is full race car that demands a fast hand and lots of respect. There is no ABS or traction control nannies to save the day only a steering wheel, three pedals, and a a traditional H pattern gearbox. Jackson tells me the car is virtually maintenance free, at least when compared to many other race only platforms, and claims the consumables cost less than racing a Spec Miata! Now that’s a racecar that many of us can get behind. For $70,000 loaded and ready to race, it sounds like quite a bargain. For more information, checking out the 999 Supersport Website

I wanted to thank Jackson and his wife for giving me the chance to drive this incredible machine and we hope to see many more of them in the future.

Congratulations to the all the Nissan enthusiasts that made the 9th Annual ZDAYZ event a smashing success. With well over 700 registrants, this year has surpassed all previous years by a wide margin. It’s with great enthusiasm and anticipation that we patiently wait all year, to gather at Fontana Village in the heart of the Great Smokey Mountains and enjoy the vast wilderness and winding mountain roads. The world famous Hwy 129 also know as Deal’s Gap is one of the most storied roads in the country, and the closest thing to a closed circuit race course in the country. But what makes this event really special, is the camaraderie and social activities that make this much more than a car meet or a car show. It’s four solid days of meeting like minded good people, that are always willing to help one another out.

Forged Performance has attended ZDAYZ for 8 out of the 9 years, only missing the very first event, when Forged had yet to be founded! I’ve been told by ZDAYZ organizers that only 22 individuals make up this elite group. For the 5th year in a row, we hosted the annual Top Dawg airstrip event which consists of casual rolling speed tests…no racing. Hosted at the Hendersonville, NC Airport, we sometimes find ourselves sharing the runway with these 3 wheel machines.

In the end, we crown the one and only “Top Dawg”. This year, we had over 35 cars competing for the coveted Top Dawg trophy but in the end, Doug Fulk in his Forged built and tuned 1000hp GT-R displaced all others, beating out last year’s 350Z race car prepared beast. For good measure, Doug’s GT-R also took down a ZX-10 race bike.

Congratulations to Doug for winning the event outright, and beating a ZX10 racebike in the process with his E85 powered beast.

Thanks to Tony Carbongs Nguyen for the group shot(I wanted to be included!)

And as the saying goes, there can only be ONE “Top Dawg”.

After wrapping up the Top Dawg Air Strip Event, we made the 2hr drive back to Fontana Village which by Thurs night, had turned into the South East mecca of all things Nissan. Nissan brought out their huge rolling mobile media center complete with 2013 GT-R’s 370Z’s and many more. Carl is the head of marketing for the GT-R and 370Z and it was great to see him and his team out again.

Between the early morning mountain runs, to the poker runs, dinners, car show and exhaust sound off, there was something to grab your attention at ZDAYZ. It’s the one time each year, when I am happy that cell coverage is non-existent.

Chad@Forged captured these brilliant images that we hope you enjoy. We are working on the video as we speak, it will be our best production ever! Stay tuned.

See you all next year for the epic 10th Annual ZDAYZ!

For more photos of the Forged Performance Airport Strip Event please click: HERE